Carrier for artists&#39; canvases



Oct. 25, 1966 R. J. SHAPIRO CARRIER FOR ARTISTS CANVASES z Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 28, 1964 INVENTOR k P055187" JJHAP/eo ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1966 R. J. SHAPIRO 3,281,031

CARRIER FOR ARTISTS GANVASES Filed Dec. 28, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 c /6' I E05 5e 7' I 5/16/ 080 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,281,031 CARRIER FOR ARTISTS CANVASES Robert J. Shapiro, 56 Beverly Road, White Plains, N.Y. Filed Dec. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 421,244 3 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) This invention relates to a carrier for artists canvases, and more particularly to a carrier enabling the transporting of one or two artists canvases and stretcher frames therefor, in conjunction with or separately from an additional canvas board.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a canvas carrier of simple and rugged construction and low cost which makes possible the convenient carrying of artists canvases.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carrier which is adapted to be used as a display support for an artists convas without modification of the carrier.

Other objects and purposes will appear from the detailed description of the invention following hereinafter, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the carrier in accordance with the invention, with a portion broken away in section;

FIG. 2 is a plan View of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a left end view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carrier in use for the carrying of a pair of artists canvases mounted on stretcher frames with an additional canvas board. therebetween;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the carrier shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view along line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the carrier in accordance with the invention when used as a display support; and

FIG. 8 is an end view of FIG. 7.

The present invention relates to a rugged and reliable carrier for artists canvases which are mounted on stretcher frames. The carrier is composed of relatively few parts and consists essentially of a horizontal handle 1, which may be a cylindrical rod of wood, plastic or similar material, having reduced ends 1 which interengage with vertical supports 2, 2 at the opposite ends of the handle. The supports 2, 2' may consist of bars of wood or analogous material of rectangular section, each having opposed planar edges 3-, 3 and opposed faces 4, 4', respectively. The supports 2, 2 terminate in plane ends 5, 5', respectively.

The supports 2, 2' are integrated with the handle 1 in rigid fashion by the provision of wood screws 7 extending through the upper ends of the supports into the reduced ends 1 of the handle.

Retainers for the canvases are afiixed to the lower ends of the supports and preferably these retainers are formed of thin rigid sheet material such as sheet metal. The retainer 10, which is attached to the lower end of support 2 is of U-shaped outline and is formed of a horizontal base or web 11 with upstanding vertical arms 12 extending from the opposite ends of the web. The arms 12 are displaced from the opposed edges 3 of the support 2 a distance at least equal to the thickness of the canvas frame. Similarly, a retainer is affixed to the bottom end 5' of support 2 in the same manner as is the retainer 10, to dispose the upstanding arms 12' on the opposite sides of support 2 in the same planes as arms 12 mounted on support 2.

For ease in handling, the handle may assume the form of a cylindrical rod /1" in diameter and of a length approximately 9" between the inner faces of the supports. The edges 3, 3 of the supports may be 1" and the faces 4, 4' 1%." in width, with the overall length of the supports amounting to approximately 6 /2". The upstanding 3,281,031 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 arms 12, 12, having a depth of approximately 1%", are preferably displaced from the edges of the supports about /8 so that a stretcher frame for a canvas, which generally has a thickness of may be accommodated between the respective upstanding arm of the retainer and the edge of the support adjacent thereto.

As shown in FIG. 6, the arm 12 is impaled between the rear face of the stretched canvas C and the frame F to bring the bottom edge of the upper border of the frame to rest upon the web of the retainer. By this arrangement either one or two canvases can. be conveniently carried by the carrier, as clearly shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

In addition, the invention permits. the transporting of a canvas board centrally of the carrier. A pin 15 extends outwardly from the external face 4 of support 2 near the bottom end thereof for mounting a spring clip 16 thereon. Similarly, a metal pin 15 extends outwardly from external face 4' of the support 2' adjacent to the bottom end of the support. A spring clip 16 is mounted on pin 15 to bring the gripping jaws of the spring clip below the bottom ends of the supports to make possible the grasping of a canvas board B at two spaced points adjacent the upper edge thereof.

Of course, the canvas board B may be gripped. by the spring clips 16, 16 and carried independently of the canvases C, C or in conjunction with one or both of these canvases.

The device in accordance with the invention may also be used as a display support for a canvas when the same is disposed as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 for this purpose. The spring clips 16, 16' are swung to a horizontal position so that the carrier may rest on a table T with one pair of the upstanding arms 12, 12' disposed in front of the supports 2, 2. An artists canvas C may be supported between the arms 12, 12 and may lean against vertical supports 2, 2 with a slight inclination to the vertical, as indicated in FIG. 8 to function as a supporting easel for the canvas.

The canvases and frames therefor may vary in size since they are supported independently. Furthermore, the canvas board may be larger than the canvases and project beyond the latter rather than as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

While I have described my invention as embodied in specific forms and as operating in specific manners for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since various modification will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. A carrier for artists canvases and stretcher frames therefor, comprising a handle of substantial length, a pair of widely displaced spaced supports of rectangular section extending downwardly from the opposite ends of said. handle, each support having opposed plane edges and plane faces extending transversely thereto, and a plane end remote from said handle, a U-shaped retainer of thin sheet metal having a planar portion. thereof afiixed to the plane end of each support and provided with upstanding arms extending towards said handle and displaced from the opposite edges of each support a distance at least equal to the thickness of the canvas frame, said upstanding arms of thin sheet metal on the same side of said supports disposed in a common plane and adapted to engage said canvases at widely displaced portions thereof between the rear face of each stretched canvas and the stretcher frame therefor.

2. A carrier for an artists canvas and a stretcher frame therefor, comprising a handle, a pair of spaced supports of rectangular section extending downwardly from the opposite ends of said handle, a thin web of sheet material affixed to'the bottom end of each support and each web terminating in upstanding arms extending towards said handle and displaced from the sides of each support a distance at least equal to the thickness of the frame of the canvases, said upstanding arms on the same side of said supports disposed in a common plane and adapted to engage said canvas .and stretcher frame between the rear face of the stretched canvas and the frame adjacent thereto, a pin projecting outwardly from the outer face of each support adjacent to said bottom end, and a downwardly extending spring clamp mounted. on each pin and adapted to engage the upper edge of a canvas board and thereby to support said board therefrom.

3. A carrier for artists canvases and stretcher frames therefor, comprising a handle, a pair of spaced supports of rectangular section extending downwardly from the opposite ends of said handle, each support having opposed plane edges and plane faces extending transversely thereto, and a plane end remote from said handle, a U- shaped retainer of thin sheet metal having a planar portion thereof aflixed to the plane end of each support and provided with upstanding arms extending towards said handle and displaced from the opposite edges of each support a distance at least equal to the thickness of the canvas frame, said upstanding arms on the same side of said supports disposed in a common plane and adapted to engage said canvases between the rear face of each stretched canvas and the stretcher frame therefor, a metallic pin projecting outwardly from the outer face of each support at the end thereof in proximity to the metal retainer, and a downwardly extending spring clamp on each pin adapted to engage the upper edge of a canvas board. and thereby to support said board therefrom in the central plane of said carrier.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,985,571 12/1934 Hetzel 29427 2,312,256 2/1943 Lumley 294-27 X FOREIGN PATENTS 334,290 4/1920 Germany. 657,646 3/ 1938 Germany.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CARRIER FOR ARTIST''S CANVASES AND STRETCHER FRAMES THEREFOR, COMPRISING A HANDLE OF SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH, A PAIR OF WIDELY DISPLACED SPACED SUPPORTS OF RECTANGULAR SECTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID HANDLE, EACH SUPPORT HAVING OPPOSED PLANE EDGES AND PLANE FACES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THERETO, AND A PLANE END REMOTE FROM SAID HANDLE, A U-SHAPED RETAINER OF THIN SHEET METAL HAVING A PLANAR PORTION THEREOF AFFIXED TO THE PLANE END OF EACH SUPPORT AND PROVIDED WITH UPSTANDING ARMS EXTENDING TOWARDS SAID HANDLE AND DISPLACED FROM THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF EACH SUPPORT A DISTANCE AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF THE CANVAS FRAME, SAID UPSTANDING ARMS OF THIN SHEET METAL ON THE SAME SIDE OF SAID SUPPORTS DISPOSED IN A COMMON PLANE AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID CANVASES AT WIDELY DISPLACED PORTIONS THEREOF BETWEEN THE REAR FACE OF EACH STRETCHED CANVAS AND THE STRETCHER FRAME THEREFOR. 